Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2011-12: Giorgio Estephan skated in two minor midget AAA games with the SSAC Bulldogs in Edmonton, scoring three goals, and was a team captain and the leading scorer for the SSAC Lions bantam AAA team. He was selected by Lethbridge in the first round (fourth overall) in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft.

2012-13: Estephan made his WHL debut as a 15-year-old — scoring a goal for Lethbridge in a December game against the Edmonton Oil Kings. He made two other cameo appearances with the Hurricanes, spending the season with the SSAC Athletics midget AAA team in Edmonton. Estephan had no points nor penalties in his other two games with Lethbridge, finishing -2 in three games. He scored 17 goals with 30 assists and 12 penalty minutes in 32 games for the Athletics. Edmonton SSAC reached the Alberta Midget Hockey League finals, falling to Red Deer in five games. Estephan scored 5 goals with 6 assists and 6 penalty minutes in 14 playoff games. He skated for Team Alberta in the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup.

2013-14: Estephan skated in 64 of 72 games for Lethbridge in his first WHL season and played for the Canada Pacific U17 team in the 2014 World Hockey Challenge. He scored 12 goals with 12 assists and was -25 with 18 penalties for a Hurricanes team that finished last in the Central Division and had the league’s worst record. Estephan scored 3 goals with 3 assists and no penalties in six games for Canada Pacific at the WHC. Canada Pacific finished second, falling 4-0 to the USA in the gold medal game.

2014-15: Estephan was invited to the Team Canada U18 Development Camp before returning to Lethbridge for his second WHL season. The Hurricanes’ third-leading scorer, he scored 23 goals with 28 assists in 64 games and was -1 with 18 penalty minutes. Lethbridge finished last in the Central Division, missing the playoffs for the sixth straight season. Estephan was ranked 144th amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by Buffalo in the sixth round (152nd overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft.

Talent Analysis

Estephan is a scorer who possess good skating and stickhandling ability. His shot is hard and accurate and should be one of Lethbridge’s top offensive weapons for the 2015-16 season. He has the rare ability to create his own shot and competes very hard each shift, especially in the offensive end, but defensively, he needs to pay more attention to his positional play and add muscle to develop into a more complete player.

Future

Estephan has been a key presence for Lethbridge in 2015-16 as the Hurricanes have been one of the big stories in major junior hockey. Along with dynamic but undersized undrafted forwards Brayden Burke, Tyler Wong, and Egor Babenko, he is among the team's leading scorers as Lethbridge has led the Central Division for most of the season after finishing last a year ago. Estephan suffered a lower body injury late in the year but should be back for the WHL playoffs. More of a slippery, highly-skilled offensive player than a two-way center, his defensive game will need addressing when he reaches pro hockey but his skill set could fit in well with the young forwards in Buffalo. Estephan has yet to sign a contract with the Sabres but his play this season has certainly garnered their attention.

Photo: The battle for the top spot in both the Midwest Division and Western Conference in the OHL is on the line this weekend as the London Knights’ Christian Dvorak and Erie Otters’ Travis Dermott square off in a key CHL matchup (courtesy of Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

The postseason tournaments are underway in college hockey, while the regular seasons in the three CHL leagues wrap up this weekend. This week’s Prospect Faceoff focuses on a couple of noteworthy NCAA semi-final games in the NCHC and ECAC while also taking a look at three CHL games with implications for next week’s playoffs. Read more»

Photo: 2016 prospects Dante Salituro of the Ottawa 67’s and Mikhail Sergachev of the Windsor Spitfires go head-to-head in OHL action this weekend with one month left in the 2015-16 season (courtesy of Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

In this week’s Prospect Faceoff, we take a look at Quebec Remparts goaltender Callum Booth, who has been the team’s saving grace during a rough stretch. He will be opposed by a former first overall pick, Daniel Audette, who has a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. Also in this week’s edition, one underrated forward on North Dakota is garnering attention, as are a pair of draft-eligible skaters who are in weekend competition. Read more»

Photo: Lethbridge Hurricanes forward and Buffalo Sabres prospect Giorgio Estephan (#9) is currently among the WHL scoring leaders but will miss time due to an injury (courtesy of Ben Nelms/Getty Images)

The resurgent Lethbridge Hurricanes have been both the feel-good and surprise story in the Western Hockey League this season. All of this comes after a five-year run of futility without playoff hockey that could aptly be termed a horror story. Read more»

Photo: With 8 points in eight points (2G, 6A) in 12 games, Brendan Guhle is on pace to surpass last year’s total of 32, despite missing seven games to an upper body injury. (Courtesy of Ben Nelms/Getty Images)

Though the Buffalo Sabres have graduated several prospects to Rochester of the AHL and have several more debuting at the collegiate level, there are still a handful of prospects plying their trade in the Canadian Hockey League during 2015-16, with four of the six playing in the WHL. Read more»